THE IDEA OF FEMINISM REVEALED THROUGH THE MAJOR
FEMALE CHARACTERS AS SEEN IN KEN FOLLETT’S
THE PILLARS
OF THE EARTH
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Sarjana Sastra
in
English Letters
By
AGUSTINUS DIMAS HERLAMBANG
Student Number: 054214007
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vi
I am very indebted to Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani S.S., M.Hum., who has helped me a lot in
writing this thesis by giving me help, understanding, advice, guidance and encouragement to
finish this thesis.
I would also like to thank
Elisa Dwi Wardani S.S., M.Hum
for her advice and guidance
which help me to understand more about this topic.
I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all the lecturers of English Letters,
the secretariat staffs especially Mbak Maria Ninik who always welcome and give me useful
information whenever I needed them and the librarians of Sanata Dharma University who found
my cell phone not only once, but twice.
My special thanks go to my beloved parents who supported me and waited me the whole
time, my friends in Jogja; Dea, Kiky, Hasan, Puput, Herni, Elsa and my cousin, Mbak Sita, who
stand by me in my hardest days and ready to give me some cheering, and to my friends in
Bekasi; Muray, Marcholine, Derry, Dewi, Yudi and Dharma who waited for me to come back
and reunite with them. Lastly, my thanks would go to my dog, Moshi, who knows when is the
time to play and when is the time to let me work.
vii
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI
………….………
iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY……….
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……….….……
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……….…….
vii
ABSTRACT ………..…….
ix
ABSTRAK
………..
x
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……….
1
A. Background of the Study ……….
1
B. Problem Formulation ……… 4
C. Objective of the study ………..
4
D. Definition of Terms ……….. 5
CHAPTER II: THEORITICAL REVIEW ……….
8
A. Review on Related Studies ………...
8
B. Review on Related Theories ..………..
10
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ………...
10
2. Theory of Feminism ………. 12
3. Theory of Gender Stereotype……… 15
C. Review on the Social Condition in Medieval Period
in England Especially the Medieval Women ………...
16
D. Theoretical Framework ……… 18
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ……….. 20
A. Object of the Study ……….
20
B. Approach of the Study ……….
21
viii
A. Characteristics of the Major Female Characters
in
The Pillars of the Earth
……… 25
1. Character of Aliena of Shiring ……….. 26
2. Character of Ellen ………....
32
B. Forms of Patriarchy Present in
The Pillars of the Earth
……….. 36
1. Forms of Patriarchy in the Medieval Society ………..
36
2. Raping and Patriarchy ……….. 39
3. Religion and Belief ………..
40
C. Idea of Feminism ……….
44
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ……….
48
ix
ABSTRACT
DIMAS HERLAMBANG.
The Idea of Feminism Revealed through the Major Female
Characters as Sees in Ken Follett’s
The Pillars of the Earth
.
Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
This study deals with Ken Follett’s
The Pillars of the Earth
. The story in this novel
revolves around the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge in the medieval period. The medieval
society had been very traditional and patriarchal.
This study has three objectives to achieve. First is to find out the major female characters
in the novel. Second is to find out the condition of the medieval society especially on the role of
women at that time. Thirdly, to find out the idea of feminism which is presented through the
contrasts between the characteristics of major female characters and the women’s role in the
medieval society.
The method used in the research is
desk research
. The primary source was the novel
itself,
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett and is supported by other data and history related
to it; the theory of character and characterization, the theory of feminism, which includes theory
of the relation of men, women and rape, and the theory of stereotype. The writer uses feminist
approach because by applying this approach to this thesis, the writer will have a better
understanding in seeing the problems through feminism.
x
DIMAS HERLAMBANG.
The Idea of Feminism Revealed through the Major Female
Characters as Sees in Ken Follett’s
The Pillars of the Earth
.
Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Thesis ini membahas novel Ken Follet,
The Pillars of the Earth
. Cerita dalam novel ini
berkisar pada proses pembangunan sebuah katedral di Kingsbridge dalam periode abad
pertengahan. Masyarakat abad pertengahan sangat tradisional dan patriarki.
Thesis ini memiliki tiga tujuan untuk dicapai. Yang pertama adalah untuk mengetahui
karakteristik dari karakter-karakter utama wanita dalam novel ini. Yang kedua adalah untuk
mengetahui kondisi masyarakat abad pertengahan terutama pada peran perempuan pada waktu
itu. Yang ketiga, untuk mengetahui ide feminisme yang disajikan melalui kontras antara
karakteristik karakter-karakter utama wanita dan peran perempuan dalam masyarakat abad
pertengahan.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah
desk research
. Sumber utama adalah
novel itu sendiri,
The Pillars of the Earth
oleh Ken Follett dengan didukung oleh data-data dan
sejarah yang berhubungan; teori karakter dan karakterisasi dan teori feminisme, yang meliputi
teori hubungan antara laki-laki, perempuan dan pemerkosaan, dan teori stereotip. Sang penulis
memilih untuk menggunakan pendekatan feminis karena dengan menerapkan pendekatan ini,
penulis akan memiliki pemahaman yang lebih baik dalam melihat masalah-masalah melalui
feminisme.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.Background of the Study
The Medieval period is considered to be one of the most exciting periods
in English History. Hundreds of knights in shining armor, famous kings and
queens have been written in medieval history books, middle ages is a period full
of tales. However, it was not the best period for women to live in. Medieval
society had been very traditional. Medieval women had to lead a difficult life in a
society dominated by men. The women were expected to obey not only their
father, but also to their brothers and any other male members of the family. In the
Medieval period, the society put female in a role inferior to male. This situation
had led the society to take advantages of it by giving the women fewer wages than
men for the same task.
This situation clearly described in the website History Learning Site as:
For reaping, a man could get 8 pence a day. For the same task, women would get 5 pence. For hay making, men would earn 6 pence a day while women got 4 pence.
(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm)
In the medieval villages, although it is highly difficult, women could work
in workshops or become trades-women. Meanwhile, women in the medieval
towns had more opportunities in terms of earning money; they had several options
of professions. The options are shopkeepers, bakers, spinners, ale brewers or
professions which restricted for them such as knights, sheriffs, architects, masons,
actors, tutors, etc., which are known as male professions.
In politics, women were not represented in the town councils, so ordinary
women had no voice in local politics.
Though a woman could hold property,
receive inheritance, participate in trade, and go to court, she was always under a
man's guardianship—her father's, her husband's, or that of another male relative.
However, we can see some special cases of independent dominant women in
the novel The Pillars of the Earth. In this novel, Follett tells a story about the
building of a cathedral sets in the medieval period. Although the story revolves
around building a cathedral, the most important of this story is not the cathedral
itself, but how people, society, and the politics at that time effects the process of
building the cathedral.
In this thesis, the writer analyzes Ken Follett’s fiction The Pillars of the
Earth, which sets in the medieval period. This novel is known as Follett’s
masterpiece. Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He
was born on June 5th 1949. In the late 1970s Follett became involved in the course
of political activities such as Britain's Labour Party. There, he met Barbara Broer,
a noted feminist, who then became his second wife. Until now, Follet has sold
more than 100 million copies of his works.
As stated by Abrams in The Mirror and The Lamp, literary work is the
expression of the author’s ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Since literary works show
the author’s ideas, thoughts, and feelings, it is possible that there are some implied
3
on this, the writer choose Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth because the existence
of the idea of feminism in the novel which is presented through the female
characters.
In reality, we can hardly find strong women in that time, but not in this
novel where there are many female characters plays in strong position and manage
to break the traditional view towards genderization of what women can do.
There are several dominant female characters that are breaking the
traditional point of view of women’s position in the society. However, for the
purpose of the study, the writer only interested to two of the major female
characters; Aliena and Ellen.
Aliena, one of the major characters in this story, is authoritative. She
experienced from being a princess living in a castle, to an orphan of a traitor who
had nothing but the past. The character of Aliena itself is rare to be found in the
reality at that time. She is “strong” and can show the society that she is “stronger”
than men. Next is Ellen, a daughter of a knight. She knows English, French, and
Latin, and in being literate, a rare case for women at that time. She lives in the
woods as an outlaw with her son, Jack Jackson. Living in the woods for a woman
at that time was very dangerous, she can be raped at any minute by other outlaws,
but she is brave and resourceful, which made her to be acknowledged as a strong
woman.
In the reality of medieval period, it was very difficult to find these kinds of
educated women who are “strong” and “powerful”. For the same matter, the
that the author implies in the book. It is worth analyzing because we can see the
relation between the authors and their literary works which portrayed on what
they believe in. The feminist idea reflected clearly in the story where some of the
female characters are manage to break the stereotypes of the role of women in the
medieval society. This literary works tells about women who survived after facing
difficulties caused by the males and fight back. The last reason is that the practices
of gender stereotyping that are questioned by the author as the writer’s topic
which is present in the story.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How are the female characters described in the story?
2. What form of patriarchy presented in the story?
3. What is the idea of feminism that is revealed through the female characters
which contrasts with the medieval society in the story?
C. Objective of the study
The objective of the study is to find out the author’s purpose in creating
the powerful female characters which contrast with the society attitude towards
women at that period of time. The female characters’ way to survive in a
patriarchal society proved us that woman is equal as man. First, the writer will
analyze how medieval society contrast with the characteristics of female
5
reflected through the female characters, the writer will analyze the contrast with
theories provided through the feminist point of view
D. Definition of terms
In order to clarify the discussion, the writer would like to explain the
meaning of patriarchal society, liberal feminism and feministidea:
1. Patriarchal Society
According to Linda Napikoski, patriarchal is describes as a general
structure in which men have power over women. A patriarchal society consists of
a male-dominated power structure which rule throughout the society.
(http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/a/patriarchal.htm)
Also, in her book, Of Woman Born: Motherhood As Experience and
Institution, Adrienne Rich wrote the term of patriarchal society as; “…the power
of fathers, a familial-social, ideological, political system in which men-by force,
direct pressure, or through ritual, tradition, law, and language, customs, etiquette,
education, and the division of labor, determine what part of women shall or shall
not play, and in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male, under
patriarchy.” (1986: 57).
2. Patriarchy
According to Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan in their book 50 Key
Concepts in Gender Studies, literary patriarchy means “rule by the male head of
the society.” But since the context here is feminism, therefore patriarchy here
Also, through The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, we can find that
patriarchy described as a system, authorized by the males, which oppresses
women in social, political, and economic institution (Humm, 1955: 200).
3. Feminist Idea
Maria Gousseva wrote in Pravda that since the very early days of mankind
that males and females were not equal. She wrote that there are many ideas of
feminism
(http://english.pravda.ru/society/family/17-03-2006/77425-feminism-0/).
For radical feminists, Gousseva wrote that they believe for many centuries
women had been oppressed in all elements of social life, and that they were
fighting against. The Amazon feminism consisted in the idea that women were
oppressed because of their weakness. Followers of the idea believed that women’s
world would be able to resist the men’s world when they were physically strong.
Lesbianism, the attempt to ignore men as species, belongs to this feminism trend
(http://english.pravda.ru/society/family/17-03-2006/77425-feminism-0/).
4. Gender Stereotypes
In The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, stereotypes are described as
“preconceived ideas” about individuals, groups or objects. (Humm, 1955: 277)
In other source, Sara Michelle describes gender stereotypes as “a
conventionally simplified and standardized conception or image concerningthe
typical social roles of male and female, both domestically and socially.” In other
7
and activity-domains that are considered to be proper qualities to describe men
and women. (http://people.unt.edu/jw0109/misc/stereotype.htm)
5. Middle Ages
The Middle Ages have various names; the Dark Ages, the Medieval Era,
and the Mediaeval. It is the period between A.D. 500 and 1500. This period of
time reflect its position between the cultural achievements of the Roman Empire
and the flourishing of art and science in the Renaissance. In this period, the
dominant religious, political, and cultural force in Western Civilization was the
Christian Church, headed by the pope.
8
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part is the review of
related studies related to the writer’s topic. The second part is the reviews of the
related theories on the writer’s work and topic. In third part, the writer reviews the
social condition of the England’s medieval period, especially how the society treat
women at the time. Last, in theoretical framework, the writer shows the
contribution of the studies and theories that have been previously discussed to the
writer’s work and study.
A. Review on Related Studies
So far, the writer has not yet found any study that uses the same novel as
the object of the study of the writer. Therefore, the writer decided to review Cici
Riesma Sari’s thesis, Some Feminist Ideas in Henry James’ The Portrait of a
Lady, which has similar topic to the writer’s, which is the ideas of feminism that
is revealed through the characters in the novel. The methods that she uses are
great contributions for the writer to reveal Ken Follett’s idea of feminism through
the characters in The Pillars of the Earth. The writer also decided to review
Amanda Rindu Dyah Perdana’s thesis, Patriarchy, Women Suffering, And the
Ideas of Feminism Reflected through the Characters in Maria Irene Fornes’s The
9
However, although Sari’s methods in revealing the idea of feminism have
similarities with the writer’s method, which is through the characters in the novel,
it has several differences with the writer’s methods.
First of all, Sari uses all of the female characters in the novel to reveal the
feminism idea hidden in the novel. Meanwhile, the writer only uses the major
female character to find out the idea of feminism beneath it. In the end, Sari’s
method has weakness in term of efficiency because as she analyzing the minor
characters, she finds out that most of them did not carry the idea of feminism.
Therefore, the writer decided to analyze only using the major female characters.
Furthermore, in her thesis Sari concludes that the background of the
feminist ideas conveyed through the characters influenced by the history of the
American culture which are originated from the European. She states that since
most of the female characters are American, they are shown to be more
appreciated than the European since in America people are believed to have equal
rights, which means European women are being less appreciated. This contrasts
with the writer’s topic which object of the study has dominant female characters
regardless of the similar setting which is placed in the Europe. As for the
approach applied in the thesis, Sari also uses sociocultural-historical approach
which the writer does not applied in his topic.
As for Perdana’s thesis, she uses the same approach as the writer uses;
feminist approach. However, in her thesis, Perdana uses all of the major
characters in the play, male and female. The reason Perdana analyzing the male
contrasts with the writer’s thesis which use the descriptions of the social
condition, the effect of religion and the scene of rape to find out the forms of
patriarchy present in the story.
From the comments and analysis above, we can conclude that this study is
different with the Perdana’s and Sari’s studies. Although all of the studies here
use the characters of the objects of the studies as tools to find out the feminist
ideas, in term of the methods that the writer uses are different.
B.Review on Related Theories
The theories which are used here is the theory of character and
characterization, the theory of feminism, which includes theory of the relation of
rape, men and women, and the theory of stereotype. These theories will be helpful
to find out what was the author’s purpose in creating dominant female characters
in the story.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
“Characters is the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue, and what they do-the action.” (Abrams, 1985:23)
In a story, character is one of the elements. It is a creation of imaginary
person of the writer and exists to complete the story. Therefore, a writer can get
inside the thoughts of his characters (Murphy, 1972:161).
11
use several methods. These methods are used by giving a description of the
character. These methods are;
a. Personal description
The author describes his characters by giving descriptions of the
characters’ appearances.
b. Character as seen by another
The author describes his characters through the opinions of other
characters.
c. Speech
The author gives some clues about his character’s characteristics through
what the characters say.
d. Past life
The author helps the readers to learn about the characters through their
past life.
e. Conversation of others
The author gives some clues about his characters through what the other
characters say about them.
f. Reactions
The author gives some clues to some characters by letting us know how
g. Direct comment
The author directly gives comment about the characters.
h. Thoughts
The author gives the readers direct knowledge what the characters thinking
about.
i. Mannerisms
The author can describe the characters’ mannerisms, habits or
idiosyncrasies which also tell us something about their characters.
(Murphy, 1972: 161-173)
Roger B. Henkle divides characters into two categories, major and minor
characters. Major characters are the characters that become the central attention of
the story while minor characters are the characters that support major characters in
building the story (1977: 90).
2. Theory of Feminism
Through the ages, society believes that women are inferior to men. This
belief has been accepted in the society for thousands of years. In the middle ages,
the society was very religious and live according what God wants, in this case, the
church.
In the Old Testament in Catholic Bible, Adam’s role is to be Eve’s Master.
13
shall rule over thee.”
In another part of the Old Testament which is found in the Catholic Bible
we can find;
No wickedness comes anywhere near the wickedness of a woman... Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die (Ecclesiasticus 25: 19, 24).
Meanwhile, in his letter in the New Testament, St. Paul wrote;
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I don't permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner
(I Timothy 2:11-14).
These beliefs had rooted and build stereotypes and perception in the
society that female are less valued than male. These perceptions in the society rise
feminism. Feminists seek not only to understand the patriarchal society, but also
to reform it;
“…the word feminism can stand for a belief in sexual equality combined with a commitment to eradicate sexist domination and to transform society” (Humm, 1992:1)
It is also clearly stated by Guerin, in the book A Handbook of Critical
Approaches to Literature, that feminism has always been on top of the social
reform movements in the modern era. The beginning of feminists’ history is called
as the first wave of feminism. The first wave of feminism was usually concerned
about the establishment of the legal policy which stated that women are human
The explanation of feminist theory can also be seen in Bijay Kumar Das’
book, Twentieth Century Criticism. In his book, he stated an opinion that women
are believe that they are inferior to men and found their selves dependant on him.
It is basically spreads out from his mind from the realization that “the world is
masculine, because the whole who fashioned it, ruled it, and still dominate it
today are men”. (2002: 145)
In Feminism, A Reader, Humm described feminism as a “social force”;
“The emergence of feminist ideas and feminist politics depends on the understanding that, in all societies which divide the sexes into differing cultural, economic or political spheres, women are less valued than men.” (Humm. 1992: 1)
In this study, the writer tries to find out a feminist idea behind the major
female characters which contrast with the stereotypes of women inside the novel.
In the novel, there is a scene when Aliena is being rape by William. The
writer believes that there is a hidden meaning from existence of a rape scene in the
novel.
In her site, Susan Brownmiller states the action of rape is connected with
human’s primal act of sex and cannot be separated with biological matter.
However, human have a complex system of psychological signs and urges; our
call to sex occurs in our head.
Without a biologically determined mating season, a human male can evince sexual interest in a human female at any time he pleases, and his psychologic urge is not dependent in the slightest on her biologic readiness or receptivity. What it all boils down to is that the human male can rape.
(http://www.susanbrownmiller.com/susanbrownmiller/html/against_our_will.htm
15
In her book, Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape, Brownmiller argues
that rape is the form of patriarchy, served as “the perpetuation of male domination
over women by force” (1991: 209). She suggested that the hidden meaning of rape
is connected to the concept of treating women as property.
3. Theory of Gender Stereotype
The concept of stereotype is used to describe the “typical picture” that
comes to our mind when we are thinking about a particular social group. (Pilcher.
2004: 166)
Meanwhile, gender stereotype can be defined as;
“…a standardized and often pejorative idea or image held about an individual on the basis of their gender.” (Pilcher. 2004: 167)
In Cultural Theory: The Key Concepts, Edgar stated that a stereotype is an
oversimplified views of the attitudes, behavior and expectations of a group or
individual. These views may lead to sexism, racism, or prejudiced cultures. He
also stated that these kinds of views play a big role in shaping the attitudes of the
society. (2005: 380-381)
Pilcher also shared Edgar’s view of the role of stereotype in the society as
she stated in her book;
In her book, Pilcher also mentioned about the issue of power in relation to
stereotyping. She stated that “some groups have greater power to make
categorizations (stereotypes) than others, and to generate consequences of their
categorizations (stereotypes). (Pilcher. 2004: 168)
C. Review on the Social Condition in Medieval Period in England Especially
the Medieval Women
In medieval period, many men lived difficult lives, but for women living in
medieval period where the society was completely dominated by men would be
very hard. Medieval society would have been very traditional. Women had little
role in the country. Within towns, society would have effectively dictated what
jobs a woman could do and her role in a village would have been to support her
family (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm).
In the medieval village, women would have done many of the tasks that
men did on the land, but they still paid less than men for doing the same job. For
example, for hay making, men would earn 6 pence a day while women only got 4
(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm).
Not only that the society paid women less for the same job as men, but the
society tells them what they can do and what they cannot do. The law, which set
by men, also greatly limited the freedom of women. Women were:
1. not allowed to marry without their parents' consent,
17
3. not allowed to divorce their husbands,
4. could not own property of any kind unless they were widows,
5. and could not inherit land from their parents' if they had any surviving brother.
(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm).
In the medieval period, noble women also experienced the effects of
patriarchal society. Noble women had very little choice of who her husband might
be. Marriages were frequently arranged to bring prestige or wealth to the family of
noble women
(http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/noble-women-in-the-middle-ages.htm).
In the English Life in the Middle Ages, Salzman wrote that in Middle Ages,
a noble woman or a wealthy heiress was regarded as “a valuable property to
dispose of and a good investment to obtain” (Salzman. 1955: 254).
Furthermore, she wrote:
“It was not unusual for parents to arrange marriages for their children while they were still infants; even the actual marriage ceremony was sometimes performed when the bride and bridegroom were so young that they had to be carried to the church and could not repeat all the words of the services.” (Salzman. 1955: 254)
Once became a wife, her first duty as a wife was to be fully obedient to her
husband.
“The law gave a husband full rights over his wife, whether she was a Noble woman or a commoner. She effectively became his property.” (http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/noble-women-in-the-middle-ages.htm)
In education, gender discrimination also existed. While education
women. Only women from the nobility or upper classes and nuns had the chance
for education, as the rest of them suffered from the lack of education and the only
education they know was more likely about how to be a wife or a mother.
In the medieval period, the church dominates in almost every subject in
the kingdom, including education. St. Thomas Aquinas, an influential philosopher
and theologian Italian Dominican priest of the Roman Catholic Church, once said
his opinion of women in the subject of education:
"The woman is subject to man on account of the weakness of her nature... Man is the beginning of woman and her end, just as God is the beginning and end of every creature. Children ought to love their Father more than they love their mother."
In conclusion, the medieval society is undoubtedly a patriarchal society,
and no women would have the courage to complain about inequality.
D. Theoretical Framework
Theory on character and characterization can be applied to analyze the
characters of the story. The theories of character and characterization are needed
to explain about the female characters. Although there are many female characters
in the story, for the purpose of this study, the writer will only focus in analyzing
two major female characters. They are Aliena and Ellen.
Through the theory of the relation between rape, women and men, the
writer will analyze the scene of rape in the story to show the position of women
that are being oppressed by the patriarchal society. Through the theory of
19
through the stereotyping present in the medieval period.
Through the data of the condition of women in middle ages, the writer will
find the condition of the society to find out the forms of patriarchy present in the
story.
By focusing on the society that presents in the story, the writer would like
to find the contrast between the demanded female role in the society and the
female characters in the story. In the end, the writer will find out the feminist idea
that is being reflected by analyzing the data gathered in the previous chapter
20
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The work that will be analyzed in this study is Ken Follett’s
The Pillars of the
Earth
. It is a historical novel. In the October 2007 edition, this book is divided into 6
parts or 18 chapters and has 983 pages. It was first published in 1989. The book was
not only listed at no. 33 on the BBC's Big Read, a 2003 survey with the goal of
finding the "nation's best-loved book," it was also selected for Oprah's Book Club in
2007. German-Canadian co-production spearheaded by Munich-based Tandem
Communications and Montreal-based Muse Entertainment in association with Ridley
Scott's Scott Free Films had also made this novel come to live into television series.
The story in this novel is set in medieval period. The story revolves around
the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge. The novel is full of historical references.
Through this novel, we can see how politics and religion connecting one character
with another. In this novel, Follett begins the story with a man named Tom Builder.
21
unknowingly caused by Jack. As Jack grows up, Tom accounted him as his
apprentice, and falls in love with Aliena, daughter of Earl Bartholomew. Aliena and
his brother Richard were expelled from their castle because their father was accused
of treason. She was raped and suffered abuses from her admirer Willliam Hamleigh.
Later in the story, Tom Builder is killed by William Hamleigh. While the town of
Kingsbridge is crumbling down, the story became focused on the story of Aliena. At
this time, Aliena married with Alfred, Tom’s son, but impregnated by Jack. After
Aliena given birth to her first son, she went to Spain to search Jack who runaway
from Kingsbridge when Aliena and Alfred are getting married. After Jack comes back
to Kingsbridge, he gets his opportunity to shine and takes on the job of his deceased
step father. He then builds a cathedral far greater than Tom had ever imagined, while
William has failed in life.
B. Approach of the Study
In finding out the feminist idea of the author from the novel, the writer has
decided to use feminist approach. Feminist approach is an academic approach to
literary study which applies feminist thought in the context of production and
reception to analyze literary text (Goodman, 1996: XI).
“is male”. Since the feminists criticize women stereotyping, therefore in literature
feminist critics explain how the position of women is reflected by literary texts to
expose patriarchal prejudices.
In her book,
Women: A Feminist Perspective
, Jo Freeman gives an insight to
understand the feminist point of view;
“The feminist perspective starts from the premise that women and men are
constitutionally equal and share the same human capabilities; observed
differences therefore demand a critical analysis of the social institutions that
cause them.” (Freeman. 1984; 553)
Feminist approach will be a great contribution to this study because by
applying this approach to this thesis, the writer will have a better understanding in
seeing through feminism to answer the problem formulation.
C. Method of Study
When the writer had found a lot of ideas after read Ken Follett’s novel The
Pillars of The Earth, the writer needed to collect data as many as possible and find
some resources that were useful in analyzing the novel.
23
The primary source was the novel itself,
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken
Follett, and also some theory books which will support the analysis. The secondary
source was the supporting theories and data that were from the internet.
There are some steps which need to be done in this research. Firstly, the writer
did a deep reading to the novel and find out the characteristics of the major female
characters, especially Ellen and Aliena, the condition of medieval society especially
on the gender discrimination and the contrasts which are shown between the major
female characters and the medieval society’s expectation of women.
Next, the writer looked for the supportive reading through books and the
internet. The supportive readings were about theories on feminism, the relation of,
men, women and rape, theory of gender stereotype and theory of characters and
characterizations. The writer also read data about medieval society and medieval
women which could help him in his analysis.
women and the characteristics of two major female characters that are related to the
idea of feminism.
The last step was the conclusion drawn from the analysis. This conclusion
was the combination of the writer’s objective analysis and his subjective responses.
25
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this analysis, the writer discusses the three problems in the problem
formulation in the first chapter. Firstly, the writer would like to discuss how the
major female characters are being described in the novel. The major female
characters are Aliena and Ellen.
Secondly, the writer would like to discuss social and historical background
of the story, which was set in the medieval period. In this part, the writer will
explain how the society in the medieval period treats women.
Thirdly, the writer would like explain how the idea of feminism is
conveyed through the female characters by observing the contrasts that is shown
between the society’s expectations of women’s role presented in the story with the
major female characters’ characteristics.
A. Characteristics of the Major Female Characters in The Pillars of the Earth
To understand the characteristics of the two major female characters, the
writer will use Murphy’s theory of characters and characterization. They are
personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation
of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerisms.
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth has many female characters, but in
this study, the writer would like to focus the topic to two major female characters,
common characteristic; they are capable to break the stereotypes of what women
can do. The first one that the writer would like to characterize is Aliena and then
followed by Ellen.
1. Character of Aliena of Shiring
Aliena is a daughter to the Earl of Shiring. Her mother died when she was
a child. She is the only daughter in her family, but she has a brother, Richard. She
is the intended bride of William Hamleigh. Later in the story, her father,
Bartholomew, will be imprisoned for act of treason for his support for Maud and
makes Aliena vow to assist Richard in reclaiming Shiring.
a. Authoritative
Ever since she was a child, she dominates her world, even when she was
playing with her friends.
“She had been bossy, headstrong, pugnacious, and daring. She always organized the children’s games, deciding what they should play, and who should be on which team, adjudicating disputes and keeping score. …she dominated the children’s play. …in the end she would resume control, leaving him feeling baffled, defeated, spurned, angry, and yet enchanted…” (2007, pg. 160)
After her mother died, she is the woman of the house, or in this case, the
castle. She is close to her servants, but in the same time able to be in command of
her servants. This is why dominating is in her character. In the book, there is a
part when she led Alfred, Jack, and Martha to get some food, Alfred argues that
the servants will not give them food before the mass;
“They all followed her out of the hall and down the steps. Alfred said: “But they don’t serve breakfast before mass.”
27
The dialog above implies that she knows although she is only fifteen years
old, she already had the power in the castle.
In chapter five, Aliena proves her leadership quality by leading a group of
strangers to save a farm from a heavy rain so that the poverty won’t be hitting as
hard as the previous years.
“Everyone now seemed to have accepted that Aliena was in charge…” (2007, pg. 804)
From the data above, it is concluded that authoritative is one of Aliena’s
characteristics. Her authoritative characteristic has always been the most suitable
characteristic to describe her personality, as the author stated through Phillip’s
thought;
“She looked authoritative, as always…” (2007, pg. 525)
b. Independent
As a daughter of an Earl who has a brother, she had responsibility; when
she turns teenager, she was expected to be married as a political agreement, unless
if her brother died, which led her to be an heir. But she rejects the offer to be
married with William Hamleigh, the son of a lord, and chooses to be free.
“Earl Bartholomew had a son to inherit his title and his fortune, so the only use he had for a daughter was to form an alliance. Aliena was sixteen years old and a virgin, and showed no inclination to become a nun, so it was assumed she would be delighted to marry a healthy nineteen-year-old nobleman. After all, political consideration might just as easily have led her father to marry her to a fat gouty forty-year-old earl or even a balding baron of sixty.” (2007, pg. 159-160).
A woman at that time was expected to obey according to the society way
she rejects the idea of living under the shadow of politics and power, and chooses
to live as a free woman.
Aliena’s marriage refusal is an uncommon thing to happen in that period
of time. This situation is described in the novel through the dialog between Aliena
and Elizabeth, William’s wife;
“To tell you the truth, when I was more or less your age, I was supposed to marry him.”
“No! And how come you don’t?”
“I refused, and my father backed me. But there was a dreadful fuss. . . . I caused a lot of bloodshed. However, it’s all in the past.”
“You refused him!” Elizabeth thrilled. “You’re so courageous. I wish I was like you.”” (2007, pg. 805)
This contradicts with the description of common medieval women that is
being described by Salzman in her book;
“Marriages were, indeed, for the most part a matter of arrangement, in which the feelings of the bride were very little considered. In particular a wealthy heiress was regarded a valuable property to dispose of and a good investment to obtain.” (Salzman. 1955, pg. 253-254)
Phillip, a prior of the Kingsbridge priory, once shocked by his brother,
Francis, comment about Aliena, that she is one of the most beautiful women he
ever seen. He assumed that Aliena is not attractive woman since she isn’t married.
“Aliena lived comfortably. If she’s so beautiful, Phillip wondered, why hasn’t she got a husband? There was no shortage of aspirants: she had been courted by every eligible young man in the county, but she had turned them all down.” (2007, pg. 526)
In page 557, through Aliena’s thought, we can see her view about
medieval women about marriage status; “most women were keen to get married;
and if they were still single, as she was, at the age of twenty-two, they were more
29
What happened here is that women in the medieval period used to get
married in the ages of teenager. Meanwhile, Aliena in this time is in her twenties.
The only common women that were hard to find husband at that time were ugly.
So Phillip assumed that Aliena is ugly because she did not get married though she
is in her twenties. It did not occurred to Phillip’s mind that Aliena simply wanted
to wait for the right man, because it’s not something that is usual for a common
woman to choose who will be her husband.
Another example of Aliena’s independancy shown in the story when
Aliena escaped from the castle. In the beginning of her journey, Aliena made a
vow to her father to support her brother to be a knight. To do so, she needs to buy
him armors, weapons, and a war horse, but at the time she made the vow, she and
her brother are homeless and short of money, and no one wants to hire people who
are just few weeks ago were rich and not used to do labor works. So, on the way
back from Gloucester, she buys some of the peasants’ wool to sell them on the
market. This is the beginning of how Aliena became a successful wool merchant
and an independent woman. After doing the same thing for a few years she had
become one of the richest persons in Kingsbridge.
Aliena’s characteristics that “out of the medieval women world” are not
only in her independence nor her intelligence in starting business, but also in her
daily life. She likes to read. However, she cannot do it in public or in her house,
because it was not common for a woman to be literate. She usually read her books
“...most people preferred the safety of the fields and villages, and stayed away from the forest. But Aliena often walked in woodlands near Kingsbridge, and there was a particular spot where she liked to stop and sit down.” (2007, pg. 532)
One day, Jack go to that particular spot, and come with a surprise, she
found her reading a book;
“The only people who read books were monks, and not many of them read anything except the services” (2007, pg. 533)
It was a surprise for Jack because not many people can get literate,
especially for women. The only kinds of women who were literate were only
some of the higher class women, and nuns. It is “some” of the higher class women
because the only chances they can get educated were by joining their brothers
when their brothers were being taught by their mentors.
From the data and description about Aliena that have been mentioned
before, we may assume that her way of thinking is different with the majority at
that time and proved her independence characteristic.
c. Tough
Few days after she got raped by William, she and her brother run away
from the castle to visit their father in the jail. In the jail, she made a vow to
support her brother to be a knight. On the road to Gloucester to meet her uncle,
her feet keep bleeding from the clogs, wooden shoes. Although only few days ago
she still living as a daughter of an Earl in a castle, she keeps on walking with
bleeding feet.
31
The excerpt of the text above shows Aliena’s toughness as a female. It
shows that Aliena manages to endure the pain in order to finish the journey.
Her toughness is also shown in her business life. In order to get the wool,
she needs to buy them from the peasants in other towns and villages. Therefore,
she needs to travel long distance to get to them. In the medieval period, long
distance trade and travel was very risky and dangerous business. This situation is
described in the library.thinkquest.org;
“Long-distance trade by women was the exception rather than the rule. Besides being discouraged from long journeys by peers at home, women faced abduction, murder, and rape from vagabonds who would not normally trouble a well-known male trader.” (http://library.thinkquest.org/12834/text/marketplace.html)
Another example can be found in chapter four, where Aliena had to set on
a journey to find Jack, the father of her child. She had to travel from Winchester
to Compostola, a town in Spain. Not only that the journey itself spent about nine
months, but she also had to travel with a group of strangers with her new born
child.
Since the setting is in medieval times, the context of the long journey that
Aliena had to make is different from the context of long journey in modern times.
In medieval, to travel between England and Spain, common peasants need to take
a traditional cargo ships, and most of the time, they have to walk. In the journey,
not only that she must face the risk of having fatigue, but also starvation, being
robbed, and even raped. But she did it anyway because she did not afraid of the
journey as she explained it in page 678;
Aliena smiled. “That’s one thing I’m not worried about. I’ve been travelling since I was seventeen years old. I can take care of myself.”” (2007, pg. 678)
From the data above, we can conclude that tough is one of Aliena’s
characteristics.
2. Character of Ellen
Ellen is a daughter of a knight. She knows English, French and Latin, and
in being literate. Her childhood spent in with her family, an all-male household. In
her teen age, her father sent her into a nunnery. One day, she met a Frenchman,
Jack, and fell in love with him. After a short while, she became pregnant, but Jack
was accused for stealing by the people in the church and being executed. Ellen
then cursed those people and lived in the woods as an outlaw.
a. Brave
Through Ellen’s past life, the readers learn that she grew up in almost an
all-male household which made her character to be more masculine than feminine.
When she was a child, “she could spit on the ground and eat apple cores and kick
a horse in the belly so hard that it would draw in its breath, allowing her to tighten
its girth one more notch” (2007:37). This skill is peculiar for a little girl to have,
but Ellen’s childhood influence her to be tough.
For a woman living in the woods as an outlaw was very dangerous. Living
in the woods for a woman means to be ready to get raped by other outlaws. But
through a dialog between Ellen and Tom builder, Follett writes: “The other
33
Ellen also considered as a brave woman because of her bravery in
expressing what her feelings and her protests in public to the Church for several
times in form of curses. Ellen curses every time she felt injustice. She curses as a
protest, a rebellion. The first curse she made is presents in page 15 to 16, as she
witnesses the execution of Jack, the father of her child. Jack was executed because
he witnesses a political conspiracy against the king. The target of the curse was
Waleran, Prior James, and Percy Hamleigh.
“…and then she pronounced her curse, calling out the terrible words in ringing tones: “I curse you with sickness and sorrow, with hunger and pain; your house shall be consumed by fire, and your children shall die on the gallows; your enemies shall prosper, and you shall grow old in sadness and regret, and die in foulness and agony. . . .” As she spoke the last words, the girl reached into a sack on the ground beside her and pulled out a live cockerel. A knife appeared in her hand from nowhere, and with one slice she cut off the head of the cock.” (2007, pg. 15, 16)
The second curse she landed was in page 281 up to 282. In this part, she
cursed the monastery for parting her with her love, Tom Builder. Ellen and Tom
had lived together in the monastery, unmarried. The problem is, she had to
confess her sins, but since she despises church, refused.
“”Piss on you, Tom Builder!” she said. She realized she had an audience. “Piss on all of you, too,” she said. Most people grinned. It was hard to take offense, perhaps because she looked so lovely with her face flushed red and her golden eyes wide. She stood up. “Piss on Kingsbridge Priory!” She jumped on the table, and there was a burst of applause. She walked along the board. The diners snatched their bowls of soup and mugs of ale out of her way and sat back, laughing. “Piss on the prior!” she said. “Piss on the sub-prior, and the sacrist, and the cantor and the treasurer, and all their deeds and charters, and their chest full of silver pennies!” She reached the end of the table. Beyond it was another, smaller table where someone would sit and read aloud during the monks’ dinner. There was an open book on the table. Ellen jumped from the dining table to the reading table.
“Piss on the Rule of Saint Benedict!” she yelled at the top of her voice. Then she hitched up her skirt, bent her knees, and urinated on the open book. (2007, pg. 281, 282)
The Rule of Saint Benedict is a book of teachings for monks living
communally in Church. In this part, her curse and her action in urinate the book of
Rule of Saint Benedict are forms of protest on the Church view.
In page 651, Ellen cursed the wedding between Aliena and Alfred, because
the wedding is based on envy. She felt injustice because she cannot get married
with Tom whom she loves because she does not recognize church, but Alfred can
get married with Aliena with no love at all.
“She was holding a live cockerel in one hand and a long knife in the other. There was blood on the knife, and blood spurting from the severed neck of the bird. “I curse this marriage with sorrow,” she said, and her words chilled Aliena’s heart. “I curse this marriage with bareness,” she said. “I curse this marriage with bitterness, and hatred, and bereavement, and regret. I curse this marriage with impotence.” (2007, pg. 651)
Her bravery to protest and to express her feeling publicly became one of
her characteristics.
b. Independent
Through Ellen’s mind, we learn that she dreamed of a society free from
male domination: “Ellen often thought that if there were no kings and lords and
bishops and sheriffs, then everyone could live like this and be perfectly happy.”
(2007, pg. 39). Note that she only mentioned the kings, lords, bishops, and
sheriffs, masculine professions, not queens or nuns, which are feminine
professions. This implies that she could live in a world where male domination is
35
Through Aliena eyes, we can learn Ellen’s characteristics more detailed;
“What a strange woman she must be, to raise a child in the forest! Aliena had
talked to Ellen and found in her a kindred spirit, an independent and self-sufficient
woman somewhat angry at the way life had treated her.” (2007, pg. 548)
Aliena, whose wool business going well, wanted to make more money to
support her brother, so she came to Ellen. As described in page 548, Aliena feel
that there is a special feeling in earning money; she felt independent, which is not
a feeling that is commonly felt for women at that time. Ellen was not lack of
money, but Aliena had a feeling that she wanted to earn it with her own hands;
that Ellen must also like being an independent woman, free from Tom’s power
economically. And Ellen agrees with the deal immediately. This has proved the
quality of Ellen’s independence.
c. Dominating
When Ellen first encounters Phillip, Phillip was surprised by Ellen’s
character. Ellen and Tom’s family came to the monastery to find a job for Tom,
and it was Ellen who started the conversation.
“It was unusual for a woman to speak before her husband did…” (2007: 112)
The line shown above shows that Ellen dominates Tom by starting the
conversation. At that time, it was uncommon that the woman speaks before the
man and considered as a revolt against her man. By speaking first before Tom did,
Ellen showed to Phillip that she is the chief in their relationship, that she is the
one who take charge. This has shown the dominating characteristic in the
Ellen is a dominating independent brave woman who lives in the forest
with her son as an outlaw. She refuses the politics and churches which controlled
the society by become a rebel to the society. However, she was not a criminal; she
became an inspiration of role model to other characters such as Jack and Aliena.
B. Forms of Patriarchy Present in The Pillars of the Earth
In the medieval period, women were seen by the society as inferior to men.
They were taught to be obedient to their older brother, father and husband. These
facts also presents in the novel The Pillars of the Earth.
1. Forms of Patriarchy in the Medieval Society
One of the ways to find out the forms of patriarchy present in the novel is
by analyzing how the society viewed the role of women. In the daily live,
medieval women had a lot of responsibility, they have done many tasks men did
not on the land. According to Chris Trueman, about 90% of women who lived in
rural areas are involved in some form of farm work. Meanwhile, Trueman also
stated in his website that they also have the responsibility to keep the house
(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_women.htm).
However, women were paid less than men for doing the same job. Still
from the same source, this situation is clearly described as Trueman states that for
reaping, a man could get 8 pence a day while women would get 5 pence, and for
hay making, men would earn 6 pence a day while women got 4 pence. The
situation that is being described above reflects gender discrimination in the
37
The data above is one of few examples of gender discrimination that are
mentioned in the novel that reflects the patriarchy of medieval period.
In the novel, Ken Follett describes this situation as seen in page 395 when
Aliena tries to sell her wool that she bought from various peasants from other
villages to a merchant in Winchester. The merchant first bought a pound for a
whole sack of wool with poor quality, but he only offers Aliena half a pound for a
sack of wool with mixed quality. When Aliena asks him the reason, he said
“Because nobody pays a girl what they would pay a man.”
In www.historylearningsite.co.uk, we can also found the fact that at the
medieval period, many girls from poor families were tended to get married until
they were in their twenties because their families needed them to work for the
family. Children from poor families were demanded to work from the earliest age
as possible. This situation is reflected in the novel at page 366 when Aliena is
looking for a job. A master in the fulling cloth tells her to touch a woman’s hands.
They were chapped and cold. Then, the master explains to her: “She’s had her
hands in water since she was a little ‘un…”
In status, they were inferior to men. When they are unmarried, they have
to obey their fathers. Once they get married, they turn to fulfill husbands’
command. Meanwhile, women are regarded as the subjections to men. If women
did not listen to husbands’ order, husbands have the right to beat their wives.
This situation is described in the novel through the scene between Aliena
their wedding night. When Aliena trying to get him excited by rubbing his genital,
she accidentally rubbed it too hard and hurt him. This incident made him angry;
““Stupid cow!” he said, and he slapped her face, backhanded, with a swipe that knocked her sideways.” (2007, pg. 654)
But that is not all, ashamed by his incapability of getting erected, he
cannot stand her sleeping beside him, so he threw her out of the bed;
“He took her by the arms, lifted her upright, and pushed her off the bed. She fell into the straw on the floor.” (2007, pg. 654)
This is the first of many nights when Aliena had to sleep on the straw in
the corner of the bedroom to avoid being beaten by Alfred.
Different from girls from poor families, girls from rich families tended to
have married when they were teenagers. They have no choice over who they
married to, and usually the marriage was a political gesture. This situation is
perfectly reflected in the novel as William is being set to married to Aliena and
Elisabeth. In page 26 in the novel, when Tom Builder found out that Aliena
rejected William’s proposal, he was surprised because the society, which was
represented as Tom’s thought, expected a girl like Aliena to be married with
someone who was a high born like William. Tom thought, “Her marriage could
affect military alliances, baronial finances…” If a woman married as a political
gesture, she then became a political tool with no free will.
In education, gender discrimination also existed. While education for men
increased in the Middle Ages, it was not for women. Those from the nobility or
wealthier classes were sometimes educated either privately, or in the home
39
education was considered as the preparation for marriage. Mostly, the trainings of
women’s education were designed for being a good wife and mother.
From the data above, we can conclude that whether in form of wages or
marriage life, gender discriminations were present in the medieval society.
2. Rapingand Patriarchy
The forms of patriarchy that are presented in the novel also can be found
inside the rape scene in the novel. Carole J. Sheffield wrote in Woman; A Feminist
Perspective, the act of raping is considered as an act of aggression and possession,
not the act of sexuality (Freeman. 1984, pg. 5). With this statement, the writer
analyzes the presence of patriarchy in the rape scene in the novel.
The scene begins as William and his men found Aliena, her brother, and
her servant hiding in the abandoned castle. Matthew, the servant, is killed as he
tries to protect Aliena and her brother. That was the time he rip Aliena’s clothes.
“He reached out and grabbed the neck of Aliena’s tunic. The line was soft and fine, very expensive. He gave a sharp jerk. The tunic ripped. He kept on pulling, so that it tore all the way down the front. A strip a foot wide came away in his hand. Aliena screamed, then tried to pull the remnants of the garment together over her front. The torn edges would not meet. William’s throat went dry. Her sudden vulnerability was thrilling.” (2007, pg. 336)
Then the scene continues as William’s men cut Aliena’s brother’s ear to
stop Aliena from resisting. In the end, Aliena surrender herself to William.
“William spat on his hand, then rubbed the moisture between her legs. He pushed his fingers inside her. She cried out with pain. That excited him more.” (2007, pg. 337)
William felt, as implied in the sentence “Her sudden vulnerability was
He liked the fact that he is the doer, the person who made Aliena felt weak, which
implies that he liked the fact that he has power over Aliena.
Not only that William liked the feeling of having the power over Aliena,
the one that he loves, but also he liked hearing her screaming with pain because of
him, knowing that she was the victim, that she was so helpless.
The data above show that what excites William was not the act of raping
itself, but the capability of controlling Aliena, of taking charge in Aliena’s life.
This result has supported by Sheffield statement; “the right of men to control the
female body is a cornerstone of patriarchy” (Freeman. 1984, pg. 3). Brownmiller
also suggested that the act of rape is a form of patriarchy (Humm. 1992, pg. 70.
Therefore, the act of raping that is being drawn above shown the power of
men over women by force and represents the form of patriarchy.
3. Religion and Belief
The medieval period might be called the Age of Faith. It is because in this
period, religion played a big part in everyday life. In this period, there was only
one form of religion; the religion that was taught by the Catholic Church. In this
period, Churches had their own lands and treasuries.
The glamour life in the Church was mentioned in the novel several times.
In page 154, there is a scene when Phillip went to visit the king;
41
Priors were not the only ones who get the convenience of the Church.
Monks also lived comfortably. This situation is described in page 586 through
Jack’s experience as a novice monk;
“Monks had no personal possessions and no money of their own, but they lived more like lords than like peasants—they had good food, warm clothes and fine stone buildings to live in.” (2007, pg. 586)
However, the extravagance is not the only thing that the Church facilitated
leaders such as bishops and archbishops often played leading roles in the
government.
Since Church was very important element in the medieval period, it had
guided the most aspects of the society. As impact, people in this period were very
religious and lived with the rules that the church had set for them. As Salzman
stated in his book, English Life in the Middle Ages;
“No man might think for himself in matters of religion or hold any views different from those laid down by the Church; if he did he was a heretic and acted at the peril of his body in this world and his soul in the next.” (1955, pg. 109)
From the statement above, it is implied that people who live against the
guidance of the church are heretic and going to hell. By promising the key to
heaven, the Church had become the most powerful institution in the medieval
time.
One example in the novel which shows hell used as a threat to people is
described in page 322. In this scene, William mock Phillip, which made him
angry;
As reaction to the promise of hell waiting for hell, Follett described his
feeling as “went white with fear”.
Since the Church played a big part in the society, its teaching had been the
foundation of the way of living of the society. As the foundation of the way of
living of the society, it can be seen as reference of the position of women and the
attitude of men towards them at that time.
In his book, Salzman stated that through the medieval literature, the
position of women at that time somewhat “puzzling”;
“Woman is at one moment idealized as a divine being, to gain whose love the world may well be lost, at the next she is figured as a worthless and venomous creature, hardly worthy to have a human soul.” (1955, pg. 249)
However, if there was an oppression of woman in medieval period, the
main core of the problem would be coming from the church, as reflected in
Salzman’s statement in his book;
“The worst slanderers of the female sex were the clergy. They could never get out of their heads the part that Eve had played in the unfortunate incident of the apple in the Garden of Eden, and they therefore assumed that as the first woman had brought Sin into the world by tempting Adam, so all woman were temptress and responsible for most sins committed by men, and they did not hesitate to say so.” (1955, pg. 250)
Beauvoir mentions in her books, The Second Sex, several references of the
teachings which put women in low position. Through St. Paul, the existence of
gender discrimination which put woman as the subordination to her husband is
proved to be correct;
